Hammerhead
Real Name: Unrevealed
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man 113
Died In: Hammerhead was presumed killed in Amazing Spider-Man 131 when an atomic breeder blew up, and again in Amazing Spider-Man 158 when a helicopter he was in ... well, it blew up, too. Do I even need to add that, despite a couple of final-seeming methods used to scatter his molecules hither and yon, he managed to survive both times?
Abilities: Ummm...basically he lowers his head and butts things. Pretty much.
What's His Problem? The victim of a beating left for dead after the attack, the man who would become Hammerhead was found by Dr. Jonas Harrow. Harrow put him back together (more or less), but couldn't do anything for the massive brain damage his patient had sustained (and, let's face it, the adamantium plate the good doctor stuck into the poor guy's skull probably didn't help the healing process one bit). Influenced entirely by the movie he had seen just prior to the beating, "the Al Capone Mob," Hammerhead styled himself and his own mob after the 1930-era gangster. Despite being notoriously behind the times when it comes to gang organization and weaponry, Hammerhead still retains control of part of New York's mob.
Heroes He Kept Running Into: The New-York-bound gangster has of course had to deal with Spider-Man, but some of his most-trying times came through his association with another super-villain, Doctor Octopus. He vied with Doctor Octopus for Aunt May's inheritance, a parcel of land which hosted a breeder reactor. During the inevitable confrontation, Hammerhead smashed into controls that set off a chain reaction. He survived the atomic detonation--tough guy--but was jarred out of phase with this dimension. He "haunted" Doc Ock for months until the Doctor, in an effort to "exorcise" his personal demon, turned a particle accelerator on him and accidentally accelerated Hammerhead back into phase.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Myrna, his gun moll in the early days, thought he was just swell. Hammerhead has an astonishingly loyal gang, who stayed true to him even when he was but a -- ahem -- "ghost" of his former self. They even tried to hijack the armored car taking Hammerhead to prison, but ran into Heroes for Hire Power Man and Iron Fist. Working with the Chameleon, Hammerhead helped orchestrate the bloody gang war between the Lobo Brothers and the Kingpin. Hammerhead's once-loyal bodyguard Tombstone, however, turned on his boss after gaining super-strength.
Most Despicable Act: Kidnapping Aunt May, which rather than protecting him from his enemies had the unexpected effect of forcing Spidey into partnership with Doc Ock.
By The Way: Hammerhead was portrayed as your basic lovable Godfather-style Mafioso boss during issues in the ASM 420's, a misreading of the character so grotesque you wonder who on the editorial staff was snoozing. And let's not even mention the goatee--shudder. Al Capone must be spinning in his grave.
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